The disclosures herein relate generally to build-to-order computer systems and more particularly to a method, computer program product, and system for installing an operating system from a storage device using a sector offset. This application relates to co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/315,657, filed on May 20, 1999, entitled “Method and Apparatus for Windows-Based Installation for Installing Software on Build-to-Order Computer Systems”, naming Bobby G. Doran, Jr., Bill Hyden, and Terry Wayne Liles as inventors.
This application relates to co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/333,786, filed on Jun. 15, 1999, entitled “Method and Apparatus for Testing Custom-Configured Software/Hardware Integration in a Computer Build-to-Order Manufacturing Process”, naming Thomas Vrhel Jr., Gaston M. Barajas, Paul J. Maia, and W. D. Todd Nix as inventors.
This application relates to U.S. Pat. No. 6,041,395, filed on Dec. 3, 1997, entitled “System and Method for Changing Partition Mappings to Logical Drives in a Computer Memory”, naming Alan E. Beelitz as inventor.
The patent and co-pending applications are incorporated by reference in their entirety, and are assigned to the assignee of this application.
In the process of manufacturing a build-to-order computer system, a computer manufacturer typically installs an operating system onto the build-to-order computer system. In the build-to-order model, the operating system to be installed may be selected by a customer from one of a number of different operating systems. Each operating system may come from a different operating system vendor and may have a vendor-specific installation engine for installing the operating system in a computer system. Because the installation engine for each operating system is vendor-specific, each operating system typically requires significant development effort by a computer manufacturer to incorporate the installation of a particular operating system into the manufacturing process.
It would be desirable for a computer manufacturer to be able to minimize the development effort required to incorporate an operating system in a build-to-order manufacturing process. Accordingly, what is needed is a method, computer program product, and system for installing an operating system from a storage device using a sector offset.